Message from the President

At Sojitz, we pursue value creation by generating “two types of value”
based on our corporate statement. One is “value for Sojitz,” or the
value we gain as a company through activities that strengthen our
business foundations, including Sojitz’s profits, talent, and expertise.
In addition to creating value for Sojitz, we also provide “value for
society” in the form of solutions to obstacles obstructing development
in different countries and local communities, as well as issues relating
to environmental preservation, and the protection of human rights.

I am confident that building and expanding businesses which meet these
goals in aiming to maximize “two types of value,” will help realize
a sustainable society that meets the expectations of our stakeholders
and of our global society, achieve sustainable growth for Sojitz,
and create future prosperity according to the Sojitz Group Statement.

In the last several years, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals
and Paris Agreement have created a greater push for global issues
to be addressed by the business sector. The world has started to take
major steps towards realizing a sustainable society, evidenced by
the rise of ESG investments in financial markets.

This led us to announce the “Sustainability Challenge,” Sojitz’s long-term
sustainability vision leading up to 2050. To realize this vision,
we have incorporated sustainability perspectives more fully into management
and are focusing on simultaneously advancing both solutions to environmental
and social problems and Sojitz business, such as by setting the “Promotion
of Sustainability Management” as part of our Medium-term Management
Plan starting from April 2018, establishing goals based on our Key
Sustainability Issues (Materiality), and having the Sustainability
Committee monitor the progress towards these goals.

At the same time, I would like to emphasize once again to our employees
the importance of our on-site capabilities, speed, and innovation.
People are our greatest asset as a general trading company. We will
offer employees that demonstrate motivation and ability many more
opportunities to gain on-site experience, regardless of their age,
gender, or nationality. We will equip employees with a strong sense
of responsibility, while encouraging them to make decisions with greater
speed, amidst a more open company culture. We will have employees
freely brainstorm together and bring ideas to the table to create
new innovation. Based on these three key concepts, we will create
a working environment in which all of our employees can excel.

Despite the ever-growing uncertainty within our operating environment,
Sojitz Group will continue to create “two types of value” that utilize
our strengths as a general trading company to provide solutions to
some of today’s global issues, while working to meet the expectations
of our shareholders.

President & CEO Masayoshi Fujimoto

*Sojitz Group’s aims to promote sustainability through
its business activities, which support international standards such
as the 10 principles of the United Nation’s Global Compact, COP21’s
Paris Agreement, and Sustainable Development Goals.